Zoom is zipping higher into earnings after the bell.
The teleconferencing stock hit a record high on Monday, adding to a rally of more than 350% so far this year.
Analysts anticipate solid growth for the stay-at-home, work-from-home play. The company is expected to post profit of 45 cents a share for the three months to July, more than earnings of 8 cents a share in the year-ago quarter, while sales are forecast to spike 243%.
Mark Newton, founder of Newton Advisors, said recent strength has pushed the stock too far, too fast.
“It’s been up over 35% just in the last three weeks, so it’s gotten extraordinarily overbought, and it’s really been the same company, so as to whether it’s justified to pay up now that it’s 35% higher is really a tough call,” Newton told CNBC’s “Trading Nation” on Monday.
He added that he likes the stock on an intermediate-term basis, particularly as one of the beneficiaries of a shift to teleconferencing during the pandemic. However, he needs to see it pull back to several key levels before he would consider it a buy.
“Short term, you know, it’s really a coin flip, and it’s really difficult to justify buying the stock here if you haven’t currently owned, thinking that it’s the right risk-reward. I would look at buying the stock in the weeks to come if you pull back down to $275 or even down to $227 near August lows, but being over $300, for me it’s just a poor risk-reward technically,” he said.
Shares were trading just below $319 on Monday afternoon.
Michael Binger, president of Gradient Investments, said increasing competition in the space could put a halt to Zoom’s rapid expansion.
“Microsoft Teams is the one that’s going to give a run for their money there,” Binger said during the same “Trading Nation” segment. “Skype is getting there, Google … [Meet], Facebook is in play. But right now, Zoom does really own the market here, and the competition is getting heavier, but I think it’s still Zoom’s market to lose.”
